T-bone Speaks Dentistry

Milestones in life are always something to be proud of. After all, you only get to achieve a milestone once in your lifetime. So, this 200th episode is going to be different. Instead of having a guest or a “how-to” episode, today will be more about the person behind your favorite dental podcast host.    Is there anything I regret doing or not doing? Where are we now in our practice in the time of Covid-19? What are some of the prevailing myths about me and the truth behind them?   Today, I celebrate our 200th episode. I share some of the things in my life that I don’t get to talk about in public. I discuss some of the moments I wish had gone differently in my life and the moments I don’t mind repeating. I explain how our practice survived during the crash of 2008 and how we are surviving this pandemic. I also describe why your unhappy patients are more likely to change the way you run your practice.   "Having a vision of what you intend yourself to be, will shape how you build your practic

Trust is at the core of any kind of relationship and business. You wouldn’t want to work with someone you don’t trust. Likewise, people will want you to help them with their dental problems if you establish a trusting persona. More than building rapport with patients, you also need to make sure you and your team members are in-sync with what you want to accomplish as a practice. What can you do as a leader to strengthen your relationship with your team and your patients?Today, I share what I do with my team to help boost trust in our practice that will also translate to better patient rapport. I discuss our different team building and charity programs and why leadership is all about engagement and how you can better engage with your team members. I also describe the different community outreach programs we’ve developed and the challenges business owners face when it comes to building trust."Nothing builds a practice like trust." - TBoneThis week on T-Bone Speaks Dentistry Podcast:● How you can effectively bui

Restarting your practice after a pandemic and more than 60 days of lockdown is not exactly something you would call normal. From relearning systems and establishing working hours to letting go of the routines that you considered normal during quarantine, it can be pretty confusing. However, you can make the transition easier by creating a list of requirements and discussing how you want the first few weeks to go with your team.   Today, we are joined by Hollie Bryant of Bryant Consultants to discuss what my practice needs to accomplish once everything is back to normal. I share what I have been doing and how I’ve been preparing my practice to reopen to the public. We describe the best time to hire a general dentist and why I’m not completely sold on the idea. I share my vision for my practice and what I want to focus on in the future. We also discuss some of the problems in our practice that we need to address as a team.   "Opportunities and challenges are the same things." - TBone   This week

Dr. Matt Standridge is the owner of Ketodontist, a health and wellness blog where he writes about the wonders of adopting a ketogenic lifestyle into his life and career. He specializes in cosmetic dentistry, orthodontics, and dental implants. He is also a Fellow at the Academy of General Dentistry, a credential only 5% of dentists receive. Matt also owns and operates his own private dental clinic in the Yates Center, Kansas area.   Today, Matt joins us to share the importance of maintaining a certain level of fitness in our profession. He describes his fitness journey, his challenges with losing weight, and how he manages to keep it off today. He explains how nutrition is the main driver of your health and fitness journey and why we should walk more. Matt also discusses the effects of the ketogenic diet and why calories and total fat content still matters. "If you know what your roadblocks are, you have to come up with an actionable plan to deal with those." - Matt Standridge   This week on T-Bone S

Brett Wells is the Founder and CEO of Dental HQ, a company that provides membership plan services to dentists who want to improve their in-house membership plans. He started Dental HQ because he saw the frustrations patients experience with the insurance process and sought to make their dental appointments smoother. Brett has since grown his business and continuously attracts new clients, even when the coronavirus pandemic hit the economy hard.   Today, Brett shares how his membership plan changed the way he runs his business. He discusses why he started multiple offices after graduation and how Dental HQ was founded. He explains how membership plans can help bring more patients as well as some of the possible drawbacks of having one. He describes the perks their patients receive with their plans and how much it costs the patients. Brett also explains how membership plans compare and contrast with dental insurance. “It’s all about the monthly price. That’s what your patients want to see: the affordabilit

Dr. Christian Yaste is the Co-Founder and Owner of Ballantyne Center For Dentistry, Charlotte’s premier sedation, implant, and cosmetic dentistry provider. They’re proud to offer all-in-one dental care in one convenient location. Some of Christian’s qualifications include cosmetic restorative procedures, full mouth rehabilitation, veneers, restoration crowns, and dentures. Dr. Christian is passionate about utilizing the latest dental technology and finding cost-effective solutions for both dentists and patients.    In today’s episode, Christian discusses marketing for dental practices and how to do it effectively. He describes the audience you should be targeting based on the services you offer and those you want to highlight. He explains the difference between marketing for general dentistry and marketing for specific services. Christian also shares how you can best use your marketing budget in the most cost-effective way possible.  "Marketing's a big confusing area that causes a lot of frustr

The country is slowly easing lockdown measures and soon, both small and large businesses will resume operations - but I don’t think we’re out of the woods yet. The last two months have been ugly from an economical perspective and a recession is no longer a “what if,” but a probability. If you’re like most business owners, you have an emergency fund, but you probably used most of it during the lockdown.    Can your business survive the next six months if a recession hits the country? What measures should you take to make sure your practice is recession-proof?   Today, I share some of the ways I will be preparing my practice from a potential recession period. I discuss when I think the recession will happen and how long it will last. I explain how this recession will be compared to what happened in 2008 and describe some of the services you should stop offering if a recession does happen. I also explain how to identify which team members to let go of first when push comes to shove. “The pain of n

When it comes to running a dental clinic, or any business for that matter, culture trumps everything. The culture you cultivate in your practice dictates how well your team responds to your leadership as well as the smoothness of each patient interaction. However, many business owners don’t quite understand the difference between having a culture and simply having a “Do’s and Don’ts” list.    How do you build the right kind of culture for your practice?    In today’s episode, I discuss how business owners can properly uphold a harmonious culture for their practice. I share why I prefer the term “team member” over staff and what it means to be transparent with your team. I discuss why it’s more important to set criteria when it comes to firing members than it is to hire them. I also share some small yet effective tricks you can apply in your practice right now that can directly improve your business culture.   “Ultimately, if you don’t know where you’re going, how is everyone else supp

Being a strong leader is very challenging even when things are running well. Making sure that everyone is on the same page, that work is done correctly, and all team members get the attention and support they need to thrive isn’t an easy task. When you add in any external complication, being a strong leader is even more difficult.    When your business is experiencing a crisis, your attention is pulled in a million different directions. Imagine when another crisis strikes you when you are just getting out of the previous one. Dentists, especially those who are practice owners, have additional stress, and it can be difficult for our teams to focus on their jobs with so many other factors weighing on them.   As the owner and leader of an organization, it’s your job to support your team to remain efficient and ensure each member is taken care of — but when you’re also feeling the external pressure of whatever crisis you’re going through, it’s difficult to know what to do.    In this week

Business owners know a lot about investments and risks, but not everyone knows the value of whatever they spend their money on. More than just keeping up with the Joneses, you have to make sure that the money you use not only improves your business efficiency, but also the patient experience. How do you know if the benefits not only outweigh the risks but also touch your customers? When should you update a piece of equipment? How many should you add to your team for it to have an effect on your practice?In today’s episode, I share my thoughts on setting your financial priorities according to the value your practice will get from them. I discuss the three questions you should ask before you spend money. I explain why I think most equipment should only be maintained for five years. I also describe some examples of investments that will directly improve the patient experience."Borrowing money should provide a return because you're taking a risk."This week on T-Bone Speaks Dentistry Podcast:● What you can ex

The COVID-19 virus has been extremely difficult for all of us. Beyond the damage to people’s health and well-being, dental practices experienced complete shutdowns in some places. This has led to poorer health over time since good oral hygiene is directly linked to better overall health. Dentists need to prepare for a new “future” in dentistry for the time being. The proper time and way to reopen our practices involve many factors. Dental practices and team members need to prepare for the new policies they will need to put into place to begin seeing patients again.In this week’s episode, we talk about four important questions to help you reopen successfully. We don’t know what to expect, how the first week after reopening will be like, or even how our patients will react. What we do know is that there are these four things that can help you go faster, better, and the way that you want. I explain ways to let people know that our dental practice is open and safe. We also talk about what can we do to reconn

Dr. Kevin Fryer is a general dentist in Mayfield Heights, Ohio, and has been practicing for over 27 years. He completed his dental training at The Ohio State University in 1989 as well as his residency at St Luke’s Hospital in Cleveland. More than traditional services, Kevin is also an advocate of modernization in practices, and he does this by incorporating digital dentistry into his practice, including 3D imaging, implants, and same-day crowns. In today’s episode, Kevin shares what his practice’s focus is and the services they offer to patients. He discusses what he realized in 2014 and the impact it made in the way he ran his business. He explains some of the challenges he encountered when it came to delegation and payment plans. Kevin also shares some of his member onboarding strategies, how he cultivated his practice culture, and how he trains new team members. “Trusting your team and delegating those things that you don’t need to do as a dentist was new to us, at that time, but very freeing.” - Dr. Kevi

In this week’s episode, Dr. Mona Gupta and Justin McLendon, both from Gupta Wellness in Raleigh, NC, discuss with me about Mental Dental: Helping People Move to The Next Step.   Dr. Gupta was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and grew up in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. After completing her studies and residency, Dr. Gupta sought to gain a variety of experience working in several different inpatient and outpatient facilities.  Justin McLendon, LPC, LCAS, received a Bachelor’s degree in psychology and a Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from South University in Royal Palm Beach Florida.     Both, Dr. Gupta and Justin believe in the utilization of evidence-based treatment, the engagement of family systems in the recovery/treatment process, utilization of community supports, developing deep meaningful relationships with others, and facilitating positive change within the whole person (mind, body, and spirit) not just controlling the substance use.    Dr. Gupta ex

During this crisis, your practice is shut down, you can’t go anywhere, and the most productive part of your day is when you browse your phone to see when the lockdown will be lifted. You can do all that or, if you’re like me, you can also try to review your business finances and see where you can try to save more money. More importantly, how to better be prepared should something similar happen again.    How do you calculate for your emergency fund? How much should you have for your business and for yourself? How can you determine if you’re overspending?   In today’s episode, I discuss the factors you have to consider when you account for your business’s overall finances. I explain how you can plan for the right amount of emergency fund, how much you should have for your business and the tools you can use to keep track of your spending. I describe the plans I put in place before this crisis happened and what I will try to implement moving forward. I also discuss loans, paying them early, and wh

One of the things we need to focus right now is that we are truly closer to being back at work than we aren’t. We are also competing against unemployment. It’s recommended to have an honest and empathetic discussion with our team members.    In this week’s episode, I talk about getting ready and dealing with re-opening our practices. To make it a little easier, I broke it down into little components: one is the PPP, the second one is the mindset of our team, from the dentists to the hygienist, to the assistants, to the front office; and the third component is the business side of our practices. I also share my insights about the PPP, considering it a great stimulus to help us get through the first weeks as we re-open. I explain how and when to use it.    Listen, the risk of allowing team members to stay unemployed is that we have to replace our team members. So, there is a risk of not having a job when they come back. I also talk about the concerns our team members may have and the safety

Many people will disagree, but I believe you can certainly be too comfortable with how you manage your practice. When you’re too comfortable, you lose your drive and your business stagnates. And when your business stagnates, you’re more prone to be swept under the rug by your competition.  How do you reinvigorate your practice and get out of your comfort zone when it’s all you’ve known? In today’s episode, I share some of the ways you can bring life back to an established practice. I discuss the positive effects of competition and how the rivalry of two fast-food chains makes for an interesting analogy. I explain why a practice should never be afraid of turnover and some of the benefits of changing your team members. I also describe ways you can have competition among your team as well as activities that promote a sense of camaraderie. "It's 2020. It's time for you to change and update your game." This week on T-Bone Speaks Dentistry Podcast: ●      Relating dentistry to the rivalry betwee

Starting your own practice is always a slow, yet rewarding experience, especially when you’re at a point where you have a stable clientele and consistent work. After stability comes expansion and growth, and this period is where many find out the difference between being a great dentist and being a great business owner. Many things are holding dentists back from achieving their true potential, but I narrowed it down to just five key factors.  In today’s episode, I discuss the five things that hold a dentist back from reaching their full potential. I share how mindset can affect the way you run and grow your business. I explain the importance of knowing the people you hire and what shoes they can fill. I describe why dental insurance will always be a relevant subject in any practice as well as why it shouldn’t discourage you from offering extra services. I also discuss what dentists can do to boost not just their practice and finances, but also their online presence and personal brand. “We have to self-as

There’s a big difference between learning new skills and implementing them in your practice. Learning something new can be done in as little as a week but organizing your team and instructing them on how to do that new service you want to offer can take much, much longer. How do you know if your team is ready for the new service? How do you know if your practice has the market? In today’s episode, I share the services I wanted to offer when I started out. I discuss the best way to learn new skills and the amount of time you should invest in them. I explain how you can prep your team to offer new services without overwhelming them. I also describe the difference an associate can have for your practice and what it means in terms of scalability. “You’ve got to define who it is you are going to be, what type of dentistry you want to do, and then you’ve got to find who it is you’re going to listen to.” This week on T-Bone Speaks Dentistry Podcast: How you can have emotional dentistry in your practice. Why I aim

Chances are you’re in your house right now because of the coronavirus pandemic, and you’re doing your part by temporarily closing your practice to help flatten the curve. But how do you run a dental practice during a global pandemic? How do you ensure your practice can continue helping patients after the pandemic has subsided and the social distancing restraints are lifted? How do you ensure your business can weather the financial burden through the COVID-19 crisis so you can reopen your doors and reclaim your business? In today’s episode, I discuss the financial options available for dental practices affected by the coronavirus. I explain how you can apply for small business loans as well as payment plans that can shield you from potential bankruptcy. I discuss why people are your biggest asset and why you should only consider removing them as the last resort. I also describe what our team plans to do after the pandemic is over and we open our practice’s doors once more. “You have to do what you feel is righ

Dr. Jonathan Ford, Dr. Amy Connor, and Dr. John (J.P.) Pasicznyk joined me to discuss how we can prepare our practices amidst the coronavirus outbreak. Dr. Ford is the owner of Ford Dental Group, a practice in Huntington Beach, California. Dr. Connor is the owner of Connor Family Dentistry, a practice in Sumner County, Tennessee.  Dr. Pasicznyk is the owner of Evolution Dental, a dental support organization committed to impacting and improving the dentistry industry. Dr. Ford attended the University of Pennsylvania, School of Dental Medicine while Dr. Connor went to the University of Tennessee Health Science Center for her DDS. Dr. Pasicznyk obtained his degree in dentistry from the Indiana University School of Dentistry and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Butler University. Amazing dentists in their own right, they’re also seasoned veterans when it comes to running a practice smoothly, even with today’s coronavirus problem.  In today’s episode, Dr. Ford, Dr. Connor, and Dr. Pasicznyk sh